Tag Archives: freedom

What limitations do you believe?

In 1955 and at the age of 67, Emma Gatewood, mother of 11 and grandmother of 23, became the first woman to thru-hike the 2168-mile Appalachian Trail solo.

It makes you wonder what limitations we hold as fact that might be a belief we acquired along the way–a belief we could just as easily put down as hold.  Do you think you are too old?  Too fat?  Too young?  Do you worry you don’t have the right education?  Or the right experience?  Do you think only men can do that?  Or only people who already have money?  Do you feel other people have advantages you do not?

What voices do you listen to that tell you it can’t be done?

What would you be doing if you did not believe that limitation?

I am certain there were plenty of people telling Emma Gatewood she was too old or for any number of reasons (including she was a woman) she shouldn’t attempt to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alone.  Maybe she had internal voices saying things, too.

She obviously did not listen.  What could you do if you stopped listening to the clatter of limitations you currently believe?

Imagine your dream in detail often.  Make a plan that moves you in the direction of your goal.  Surround yourself with people who will tell you — “You go girl”!

And then go…..

You only have to take one step at a time, and with each successful step you become stronger, bolder and closer to your dream!

What dreams do you have that you hold yourself back from following?

Are you free?

Are you free? Independent? Sovereign?  What does it mean to be these things?  For some it can mean being alone and lonely.  For others it can represent a burst of life force and spontaneity.  For yet others it is in rebellion or pushing away from someone or something.

Today in the United States we are celebrating our nation’s beginnings as a free state.  While enjoying the festivities, I encourage you to look at your own definition of independence and then assess your own internal nation-state.  Where do you hold yourself hostage?  What parts of your life would you like to emancipate?  What can you do today, this week, this month to feel more self-reliant?

Be bold.  The beginning of anything important never started with meek and mild attitudes or timid actions.  Where do you want to be and what do you want to be doing?  More importantly who do you want do be? Use the energy and momentum of today, stand on the shoulders of great people who were willing to risk it all to be free.  “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.’ ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Take steps today to free yourself from whatever is holding you back from letting your light shine.  Be your own fireworks!

Maya Angelou ~ you are trailing wisps of glory!

A black woman born when women and blacks both had little rights, she died with President Clinton, First Lady Obama, and Oprah Winfrey at her memorial.  She became symbol of triumph for many since she rose from meager beginnings to a world renowned author with her autobiography I Know Why Caged Birds Sing about growing up a black woman in America.  She reminds us anything is possible when you believe in yourself and continue to look for the rainbow, even as it storms.

Her most important message for me is to find our own voice, not the one that makes everyone else comfortable.  As First Lady Michele Obama stated at Maya’s memorial, “She told us that our worth has nothing to do with what the world might say. Instead, she said, each of us comes from the Creator trailing wisps of glory. She reminded us that we must each find our own voice, decide our own value, and then announce it to the world with all the pride and joy that is our birthright as members of the human race.”

I often urge breaking free of the roles we all box ourselves into over the years.  Maya Angelou is a great model for us all in knowing we can have, do and be anything we want and more than one thing in a single lifetime.  Here are some of the things she did:

  • Authored numerous books (seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry)
  • Became a  single mother at 17
  • Became San Francisco’s first black streetcar conductor
  • Danced at a strip joint
  • Was a prostitute
  • Worked as a fry cook
  • Sang on records
  • Was an actress, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs
  • Acted alongside James Earl Jones
  • Earned a Tony nomination for her work on Broadway
  • Wrote music
  • Played music
  • Received an Emmy nomination for her acting in the 1970s TV miniseries “Roots”
  • Danced with Alvin Ailey.
  • Worked as a coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
  • Lived for years in Egypt and Ghana as a journalist
  • Met South African liberation pioneer Nelson Mandela
  • Helped  Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. organize the Poor People’s March in Memphis, Tennessee where the civil rights leader was slain on Angelou’s 40th birthday.
  • Wrote plays, movies, and television shows
  • Earned 30 honorary doctoral degrees
  • taught American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

The next time you feel resigned to stay where you are, doing what you do even though you feel uninspired and unfulfilled — because it is what you do, remember Maya Angelou.  Find you voice, pick something you are passionate about and announce it to the world with all the confidence of one who has wisps of glory trailing from them!  And know you can change your mind later and pick something anew!

Thank you for all the inspiration you gave to so many Maya Angelou!